Electricity rates — North Carolina
A household in North Carolina using 1,000 kWh a month pays about $1,449 a year on the cheapest of 10 generally available plans — Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1 from Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina), in effect since February 2025. Schedule retrieved October 8, 2026. A further 16 restricted and 1 older schedules are priced further down but not ranked. 3 plans billed on peak demand are priced but not ranked, because a household's peak in kW cannot be read from monthly use.
- Average price
- 14.6¢ per kWh
- 12 months to June 2026
- Against the 12 months before
- +4.1%
- The joint 40th-largest rise of the 50 states
- Average bill
- $151 a month
- 12 months to June 2026, up 3.5% on the 12 months before, though homes used 0.6% less
25 of 30 priced plans, 1,000 kWh/mo
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1✓ cheapestVirginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina)priced by season · in effect since February 2025 | $1,449.36 | — | 12.1¢ |
| Residential Service R Single PhaseEnergyUnited Elec Member Corppriced by season · in effect since January 2025 | $1,617.60 | +$168.24 | 13.5¢ |
| Energy TOU Residential Service Schedule 1TVirginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina)time-of-use · in effect since February 2025 | $1,672.06 | +$222.70 | 13.9¢ |
| Residential Service RBrunswick Electric Member Corptime-of-use · in effect since November 2025 | $1,684.61 | +$235.25 | 14.0¢ |
| RS (Residential Service)Duke Energy Carolinas, LLCflat rate · in effect since January 2026 | $1,698.72 | +$249.36 | 14.2¢ |
| Residential Service R (with Renewable Generation)Brunswick Electric Member Corptime-of-use · in effect since November 2025 | $1,751.81 | +$302.45 | 14.6¢ |
| Residential Service - Single PhaseProgress Energy Carolinas Incpriced by season · tiered · in effect since January 2026 | $1,941.42 | +$492.06 | 16.2¢ |
| Residential Time of Use (R-TOU) Single PhaseProgress Energy Carolinas Inctime-of-use · in effect since January 2026 | $1,974.07 | +$524.71 | 16.5¢ |
| Residential Service - Three PhaseProgress Energy Carolinas Incpriced by season · tiered · in effect since January 2026 | $2,048.12 | +$598.76 | 17.1¢ |
| Residential Time of Use (R-TOU) Three PhaseProgress Energy Carolinas Inctime-of-use · in effect since January 2026 | $2,082.07 | +$632.71 | 17.4¢ |
| Priced but not ranked — restricted, older, or not verifiable as a bill | |||
| Dual Fuel Service Residential Schedule 1DFVirginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina)priced by season · in effect since January 2017 · needs a dual-fuel or interruptible system | $974.36 | −$475.00 | 8.1¢ |
| TOU Residential Service Schedule 1PVirginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina)time-of-use · demand charge · in effect since February 2025 · billed on peak kW, which monthly use cannot price; not ranked | $1,108.97 | −$340.39 | 9.2¢ |
| RT (Residential Service Time of Use)Duke Energy Carolinas, LLCtime-of-use · demand charge · in effect since January 2026 · billed on peak kW, which monthly use cannot price; not ranked | $1,373.10 | −$76.26 | 11.4¢ |
| RETC (Residential Service All-Electric Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing))Duke Energy Carolinas, LLCtime-of-use · in effect since January 2026 · critical-peak event days, priced here as if every day were one | $1,499.78 | +$50.42 | 12.5¢ |
| Residential Time Of Use Schedule (R-TOUD) - Three PhaseProgress Energy Carolinas Inctime-of-use · demand charge · in effect since January 2026 · billed on peak kW, which monthly use cannot price; not ranked | $1,517.86 | +$68.50 | 12.6¢ |
| ES (Residential Service Energy Star, All-Electric)Duke Energy Carolinas, LLCpriced by season · tiered · in effect since January 2026 · needs an all-electric home | $1,555.19 | +$105.83 | 13.0¢ |
| Residential Energy Star Service RES Standard Single PhaseEnergyUnited Elec Member Corppriced by season · in effect since January 2025 · needs qualifying appliances | $1,576.80 | +$127.44 | 13.1¢ |
| RSTC (Residential Service Time of Use with Critical Peak Pricing)Duke Energy Carolinas, LLCtime-of-use · in effect since January 2026 · critical-peak event days, priced here as if every day were one | $1,584.72 | +$135.36 | 13.2¢ |
| Residential All-Electric Service RE Single PhaseEnergyUnited Elec Member Corppriced by season · in effect since January 2025 · needs an all-electric home | $1,597.80 | +$148.44 | 13.3¢ |
| ES (Residential Service Energy Star, Standard)Duke Energy Carolinas, LLCflat rate · in effect since January 2026 · needs qualifying appliances | $1,625.04 | +$175.68 | 13.5¢ |
| RE (Residential Electric Water Heating and Space Conditioning)Duke Energy Carolinas, LLCpriced by season · tiered · in effect since January 2026 · needs electric heating | $1,625.08 | +$175.72 | 13.5¢ |
| Residential Energy Star Service RES All-Electric Three PhaseEnergyUnited Elec Member Corppriced by season · in effect since March 2017 · needs an all-electric home | $1,752.58 | +$303.22 | 14.6¢ |
| Residential Energy Star Service RES Standard Three PhaseEnergyUnited Elec Member Corppriced by season · in effect since March 2017 · needs qualifying appliances | $1,769.69 | +$320.33 | 14.7¢ |
| Residential All-Electric Service RE Three PhaseEnergyUnited Elec Member Corppriced by season · in effect since March 2017 · needs an all-electric home | $1,789.98 | +$340.62 | 14.9¢ |
| Residential Service R Three PhaseEnergyUnited Elec Member Corppriced by season · in effect since March 2017 · older schedule, not ranked | $1,808.22 | +$358.86 | 15.1¢ |
5 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $2,082.07 a year at this usage.
The cheapest plan in North Carolina at each level of use
- 500 kWh/mo — cheapest $820.52 (Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1), dearest $1,189.89, a $369.37 spread
- 1,000 kWh/mo — cheapest $1,449.36 (Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1), dearest $2,082.07, a $632.71 spread
- 2,000 kWh/mo — cheapest $2,515.20 (Residential Service R Single Phase), dearest $3,866.40, a $1,351.20 spread
What a typical bill in North Carolina costs
At 1,000 kWh a month the 10 generally available plans here run from $1,449.36 on Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1 to $2,082.07 on Residential Time of Use (R-TOU) Three Phase, with a median of $1,725.26.
Effective rates span 12.1¢ to 17.4¢ per kWh at that usage.
What households in North Carolina pay, by EIA's count
North Carolina's residential electricity averaged 14.6¢ per kWh over the 12 months to June 2026, the 17th-lowest of the 50 states and DC and 19% below the US average of 17.9¢. It sits between South Dakota (14.1¢) and Mississippi (14.7¢).
EIA lists 54 utilities serving homes in North Carolina. By homes served, the largest 5 are Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (1,919,372), Duke Energy Progress - (NC) (1,356,079), EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp (121,995), Virginia Electric & Power Co (108,656), and Brunswick Electric Member Corp (105,562). Member-owned cooperatives supply about 21% and municipal utilities supply about 9% of its households.
North Carolina homes used the most electricity in July and the least in April (2021–2025): a summer peak, 1.7 times the lightest month. July's bills were the highest, averaging $168; April's the lowest, $103. October was the dearest month per kWh, 19% above January.
The utilities with a ranked plan on this page serve about 71% of North Carolina's households: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (1,919,372), Progress Energy Carolinas Inc (1,356,079), EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp (121,995), Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina) (108,656) and 1 more. Their median plan at 1,000 kWh a month works out to 14.4¢ per kWh, about the same as EIA's average, which is why this page compares that median with other states'.
| Average price, 12 months to June 2026 | 14.6¢ |
|---|---|
| Among the 50 states and DC | 17 of 51, 1 = lowest |
| US average, same months | 17.9¢ |
| Change on the 12 months before | ↑ +4.1% |
| Change over five years | ↑ +29.5% (US ↑ +34.7%) |
| Average price in 2001 | 8.1¢ |
| Households, 2024 | 5,067,752 |
| Average use per home, 2024 | 1,015 kWh a month (US 872) |
| Average bill per home, 2024 | $143.50 a month (US $143.64) |
Chart of this for reuse (PNG), free to republish under CC BY 4.0 with credit to WattClear. Suggested alt text: “Bar chart. North Carolina's average home electricity price, July 2025 to June 2026, was 4.1% higher than the 12 months before, the joint 40th-largest rise of the 50 states. Washington, DC: +24.9%. United States average: +6.7%. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.”
Every year’s figure for North Carolina
| Year | North Carolina | US |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14.0¢ | 17.3¢ |
| 2024 | 14.1¢ | 16.5¢ |
| 2023 | 12.9¢ | 16.0¢ |
| 2022 | 11.6¢ | 15.0¢ |
| 2021 | 11.3¢ | 13.7¢ |
| 2020 | 11.4¢ | 13.2¢ |
| 2019 | 11.4¢ | 13.0¢ |
| 2018 | 11.1¢ | 12.9¢ |
| 2017 | 10.9¢ | 12.9¢ |
| 2016 | 11.0¢ | 12.5¢ |
| 2015 | 11.3¢ | 12.7¢ |
| 2014 | 11.1¢ | 12.5¢ |
| 2013 | 11.0¢ | 12.1¢ |
| 2012 | 10.9¢ | 11.9¢ |
| 2011 | 10.3¢ | 11.7¢ |
| 2010 | 10.1¢ | 11.5¢ |
| 2009 | 10.0¢ | 11.5¢ |
| 2008 | 9.5¢ | 11.3¢ |
| 2007 | 9.4¢ | 10.7¢ |
| 2006 | 9.1¢ | 10.4¢ |
| 2005 | 8.7¢ | 9.4¢ |
| 2004 | 8.4¢ | 8.9¢ |
| 2003 | 8.3¢ | 8.7¢ |
| 2002 | 8.2¢ | 8.4¢ |
| 2001 | 8.1¢ | 8.6¢ |
Highest in July, $168; lowest in April, $103.
Every month’s bill in North Carolina
| Month | Average bill |
|---|---|
| January | $155 |
| February | $136 |
| March | $116 |
| April | $103 |
| May | $112 |
| June | $139 |
| July | $168 |
| August | $162 |
| September | $135 |
| October | $110 |
| November | $114 |
| December | $144 |
In the guides: Summer and winter bills, state by state
How North Carolina compares
At 1,000 kWh a month the median plan in North Carolina costs $1,725.26 a year: the 4th-lowest of the 30 states whose indexed plans stand for them, and 25% less than their median of $2,303.60. It sits between Georgia ($1,665.06) and Utah ($1,731.56).
Its cheapest open plan, Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1 from Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina) at $1,449.36, is the 5th-lowest of the 30 states' cheapest plans.
The largest fixed charge on any plan here is $70.00 a month, the 2nd-largest such charge of the 30 states.
In the guides: What published electricity plans cost, state by state · What a bill costs before a single kilowatt-hour
What each provider in North Carolina costs
5 utilities serve customers across North Carolina in this data. At 1,000 kWh a month the cheapest of them is Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina) at $1,449.36 a year on Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1; the dearest is Progress Energy Carolinas Inc at $1,941.42.
That is $492.06 a year between the best each provider offers.
Cheapest available plan by provider: Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina) $1,449.36; EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp $1,617.60; Brunswick Electric Member Corp $1,684.61; Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC $1,698.72; Progress Energy Carolinas Inc $1,941.42.
Which plan in North Carolina is cheapest as use rises
The cheapest plan in North Carolina changes with consumption. At 500 kWh a month Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1 wins at $820.52 a year; at 2,000 kWh Residential Service R Single Phase wins at $2,515.20.
The penalty for a poor choice grows with usage: $369.37 a year at 500 kWh against $1,351.20 at 2,000 kWh.
How North Carolina's plans are structured
Of 31 priceable plans: 4 tiered, 16 time-of-use, 13 priced by season, 4 with demand charges, 2 flat-rate.
Fixed monthly charges run from $4.67 to $70.00.
Who provides North Carolina's plans
These plans come from 5 utilities: Brunswick Electric Member Corp, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp, Progress Energy Carolinas Inc, Virginia Electric & Power Co (North Carolina).
The largest saving among North Carolina's plans
Moving from Residential Time of Use (R-TOU) Three Phase to Basic Residential Rate Schedule 1 saves $632.71 a year at 1,000 kWh a month, with no change in consumption.
What the North Carolina figures do not cover
16 of these plans price by the hour; their figures assume the typical hourly pattern of homes in North Carolina, not this household's own hours.